36 Facts About Eerik-Niiles Kross

Eerik-Niiles Kross was born on 8 September 1967 and is an Estonian politician, diplomat, former chief of intelligence and entrepreneur.

Eerik-Niiles Kross served as the head of intelligence from 1995 to 2000; and as national security advisor to former President Lennart Meri in 2000 and 2001.

Eerik-Niiles Kross represented Estonia as a diplomat in the UK, from 1990 to 1992; then in the US from 1992 to 1995.

Internationally, Eerik-Niiles Kross is best known as a security expert, having worked in Iraq as a Senior Director of the Coalition Provisional Authority being responsible for creating the new Iraqi Ministry of Defense and Military Intelligence.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was an advisor to the Government of Georgia during and after its war with Russia in 2008.

Eerik-Niiles Kross is a well known critic of the Russian foreign policy and the Russian head of state, Vladimir Putin.

Eerik-Niiles Kross joined the moderate-conservative IRL in November 2011, and was elected to the Party Executive.

Eerik-Niiles Kross served on the Advisory Board to the Ministry of Defense.

In October 2014 Eerik-Niiles Kross left the IRL and joined the liberal democratic Estonian Reform Party.

Eerik-Niiles Kross has published several books and written scripts for documentary films.

Eerik-Niiles Kross wrote the script for the 2006 documentary, The Blue Hills, which received the Estonian Cultural Foundation's Film of the Year Award;, special mention at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

Eerik-Niiles Kross graduated from the University of Tartu in 1991 majoring in history.

In 1993, Eerik-Niiles Kross received an MA in History at the University of London, United Kingdom.

In Soviet occupied Estonia Eerik-Niiles Kross was actively involved in the independence movement.

In June 1988, Eerik-Niiles Kross was one of organizers of the First Youth Forum gathering all pro-independence youth organizations of the country.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was one of ideologues of re-establishing of Soviet-banned Estonian academic student organizations.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was the first post-war chairman of Estonian Students Society.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was the first representative of the restored Republic of Estonia in London becoming the youngest representative of a foreign government in the history of the London Diplomatic Corps.

In 1992 Eerik-Niiles Kross worked as a minister-counselor at Estonian Mission to the UN in New York.

In November 1992, Eerik-Niiles Kross took over the representation of Republic of Estonia in United States of America from Ambassador Ernst Jaakson who had maintained Estonia's legal continuity from before World War II; Eerik-Niiles Kross was charge d'affaires of Estonian Republic until arrival of Ambassador Toomas Hendrik Ilves in summer of 1993.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was responsible for the security parts of Estonia's Membership Action Plan for Estonia to join NATO.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was responsible for the establishment of the new Defense Ministry of Iraq and the military intelligence among other duties.

Later Eerik-Niiles Kross worked at the Defense Ministry of Iraq as a senior advisor.

Since 2007 Eerik-Niiles Kross has advised the Government of Georgia and President Mikheil Saakashvili in the field of foreign and media relations as well as security related issues.

In 2007, during the "Bronze Soldier" controversy Eerik-Niiles Kross was a member of the Estonian Government's War Graves Commission.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was appointed by the Defense Minister Jurgen Ligi.

On 5 December 2011 Eerik-Niiles Kross joined the liberal conservative Pro Patria and Res Publica Union.

Eerik-Niiles Kross is a member of the IRL Tallinn region board and IRL Assembly.

At the local elections of 2013 Eerik-Niiles Kross was the mayor's candidate for the capital Tallinn for IRL.

Edgar Savisaar's Center Party won the elections, Eerik-Niiles Kross became a member of the City Council and the leader of the opposition in Tallinn.

In October 2014 Eerik-Niiles Kross left the IRL and joined the liberal democratic Estonian Reform Party.

Eerik-Niiles Kross was a member of a cross-party delegation to observe the 2017 presidential elections in Serbia.

Eerik-Niiles Kross is one of the founders of the Estonian Reserve Officers' association and currently a member of the Court of Honour of the Estonian Reserve Officers' Association.

In 2011 the Estonian media reported that Eerik-Niiles Kross is reconstructing Koue Manor, a national heritage site near Tallinn.

Eerik-Niiles Kross is planning to open an Arts Center in the manor.

On 11 November 2012 Eerik-Niiles Kross was elected the President of the Estonian Judo Association.